Judge Yes, People No

Illinois' top legal officer went to the state supreme court on Friday to try to get scandal-plagued Gov. Rod Blagojevich temporarily removed from office.

Removed? Based on what, exactly?

The unprecedented move by Attorney General Lisa Madigan came as Blagojevich showed no sign of resigning three days after his arrest on charges of swapping political favors for cash, including an attempt to sell the U.S. Senate seat Barack Obama gave up after he was elected president last month.

If you want to remove him, then have an impeachment process.

Madigan said she had asked the court for a temporary restraining order declaring the governor disabled and taking away most of his official powers, turning them over to the Democratic lieutenant governor.

But he's not disabled. Democrats are just more comfortable about getting their way in court than with the people's representatives.

"We recognize the court may be reluctant to take up this matter," she said, since it calls for a broad interpretation of a law that demands action when the governor is "disabled."

There you go. It's not gonna happen. What's wrong with impeachment? We have to assume the obvious - impeachment means a trial, trials mean testimony, and testimony involves answering questions. Nobody in Chicago politics wants questions asked - they want a quick removal of Blago, and Lt. Governor Quinn to ascend painlessly onto the throne.Then, rather than to change the rules and have an election for Barack's senate seat, they want their guy Quinn to appoint their new Senator without an election which could, conceivably, be won by a Republican.Meanwhile, the focus is on Barack and his Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, a Chicago congressman who, it's appearing more likely all the time, was handling negotiations with Blago over who would get the senate seat.

Political corruption in the state that has made corruption an art form isn't funny, like a clown. The joke is on all of us, everyone who lives in Illinois. Because Blagojevich was elected governor on the reform ticket, promising to clean up the state and end business as usual.

Much ignored is the fact that Barack is a Chicago pol.

Chicagoans aren't really surprised. This is the state run by the Combine, with the Democratic machine on one side and the Republican insiders on the other, and the Chicago Outfit forming the base. That is the real iron triangle.